About Talia Whyte

Posts by Talia Whyte:

The Importance of the Design Process

The Web Design ProcessLast Saturday I hosted an online panel discussion called “Designing Women” with a group of women who work in web design, web development, user experience and software design. They talked about their careers and the role gender plays in their work.  While the purpose of the discussion was to highlight gender parity in STEM industries, most of the conversation really became more about the importance of design thinking.

I took some notes during the discussion and created a list below of ideas that all the panelists agreed with regarding this issue and how it intertwines with diversity and STEM.

  1. Having Empathy – Understanding user experience is a big part of what design professionals do in their work.  We have to be good at observing the habits of others.  This is why it is important to have design professionals from diverse backgrounds working on projects who can bring different and empathetic perspectives to the table.
  2. Collaborative Use of Many Disciplines – It is a common misconception that all STEM professionals are just geeky techies with no creativity.  Designers that work in graphics, interactive and UX bring a mix of creativity and tech savvy to prototype discussions.
  3. Innovation – Because technology is always changing, design professionals are usually the ones on the cutting edge of new ways of doing things.
  4. Aesthetics – While content is important, visual appeal is what draws users in.  For example, Apple products are known more for their aesthetic appeal than their technicalities, compared to other electronics.  Design professionals know how important it is to make sure that their work is presented in a way that is appealing.     

I thought this was a great discussion and thanks to all the panelists who participated.  I am thinking of doing another webinar just on the design process, possibly next summer.  I think this is a really important topic that needs more dedicated time to focus on the entire design thinking process.  We started replaying “Designing Women” on GWA’s Classroom. If you are interested in collaborating in this summer discussion, please contact me.

Why Black Female Characters (and Authors) Matter – Part 2

We Need Diverse BooksLast month I wrote a post about the need to have more diverse literature in schools, especially books with black female characters and/or books by black female authors.  In that post I created an awesome, but incomplete list of books that would be great additions to many school curricula and libraries.  I put out a request to you all to tell me about books that I should add to my list, and boy, did I get a ton of responses!  

I decided to created this second list of books based on recommendations I received in my inbox.  Of course, there is never going to be a “complete” list, but the whole point of this is to show that there are books out there that represent many diverse perspectives that all children, regardless of race, should be reading.  Over on Good Read, another list of over 700 books was created just for the #1000BlackGirlBooks campaign!

Thanks again for your recommendations. This time around, I have books grouped for children, teens and adults. Hooray for diverse literature!

Children

Dancing in the Wings By Debbie Allen

Firebird By Misty Copeland

Big Hair, Don’t Care By Crystal Swain-Bates

The Princess and the Pea By Rachel Isadora

Rapunzel By Rachel Isadora

The Chicken-Chasing Queen of Lamar County By Janice Harrington

I Love My Hair By Natasha Tarpley

Teens/Young Adults

The Summer Prince by Alaya Dawn Johnson

Pointe by Brandy Colbert

The Skin I’m In By Sharon Flake

Camo Girl By Kekla Magoon

November Blues By Sharon Draper

Charm & Strange By Stephanie Kuehn

Akata Witch By Nnedi Okorafor

Money Hunger By Sharon Flake

The Road to Paris By Nikki Grimes

Crystal By Walter Dean Myers

Heaven By Angela Johnson

Feathers By Jacqueline Woodson

Brown Girl, Brownstones By Paule Marshall

Adults

The Living is Easy by Dorothy West

Narrative of Sojourner Truth By Sojourner Truth

Sula By Toni Morrison

Beloved By Toni Morrison

Passing By Nella Larson

Quicksand By Nella Larson

Women’s Slave Narratives By Annie Burton

Clotel; or, The President’s Daughter by William Wells Brown

Harriet Tubman: The Moses of Her People By Sarah Bradford

The Women of Brewster Place By Gloria Naylor

Waiting To Exhale By Terry McMillan

How Stella Got Her Groove Back By Terry McMillan

The Street By Ann Petry

What You Owe Me By Bebe Moore Campbell

Lucy By Jamaica Kincaid

Annie Allen By Gwendolyn Brooks

Digital Divide Hinders Access For Low-Income Families

Computer-AccessFollowing up on my discussion last week to get the presidential candidates to pay more attention to STEM policy, I would hope the next president will also focus some energy on the digital divide, especially among our low-income young people.  

A new research report – “Opportunity for All? Technology and Learning in Lower-Income Families” – released by the Joan Ganz Cooney Center at Sesame Workshop, a nonprofit research organization focused on children and digital media, shows that low-income American families still don’t have consistent and adequate access to the Internet at home.  Although most Americans of all economic backgrounds have near universal online access through their mobile devices, there are limitations in use and service.

“Not all connectivity is created equal, and not all devices provide the same kinds of online experiences,” the report reads. “Many families face limitations in the form of service cutoffs, slow service, older technology, or difficulty using equipment because too many people are sharing devices.”

Also, you can’t exactly write a book report on a mobile phone.  Technology plays a critical role in education today, from researching a subject to communicating with teachers and other students online.  This digital divide not only affects a student’s ability to participate in class work but also to make social and economic advances in adulthood.  Not being able to get online can literally set you back in many ways today.  More and more colleges and employers require potential students and employees respectively to apply online.  

Here are some other key findings:

  • Families headed by Hispanic immigrants are less connected than other low- and moderate-income families. One in ten immigrant Hispanic families has no Internet access at all, compared with 7 percent of U.S.-born Hispanics, 5 percent of Whites, and one percent of blacks. Forty-one percent of Hispanic immigrant parents report mobile-only Internet access, compared with 25 percent of blacks, 16 percent of Whites, and 17 percent of U.S.-born Hispanics below the median income.
  • The main reason some families do not have home computers or Internet access is not because they cannot afford it, but discounted Internet programs are reaching very few.
  • Low- and moderate-income parents use the Internet for a broad range of purposes, but mobile-only families are less likely to do certain online activities.  Those certain activities include online shopping and banking and applying for jobs.
  • Children from low- and moderate-income families use computers and the Internet for a variety of educational activities, but those without home access are less likely to go online to pursue their interests.
  • Parents feel largely positive about the Internet and digital technology, but many also have concerns. Concerns include children being exposed to inappropriate online content, online bullying and technology distracting students from their education.
  • Children and parents frequently learn with, and about, technology together, especially in families with the lowest incomes and where parents have less education.

A couple of weeks ago, the Joan Ganz Cooney Center and Rutgers University hosted a Digital Equity conference in Washington DC discussing these issues.  

STEM Policy Recommendations for 2016 Presidential Candidates

Projected STEM Job GrowthImmigration, terrorism and now a vacant Supreme Court seat are hot topics among the U.S. presidential candidates.  There has been very little discussion about the jobs of the future, namely jobs in the STEM sector.  Nearly a quarter of all jobs today require a high level of knowledge in any one STEM field, and STEM workers earn 11 percent higher wages compared with their same-degree counterparts in other fields.

STEM fields are seeing the highest rates in job growth.  STEM occupations are projected to grow by 17 percent from 2008 to 2018, compared to 9.8 percent growth for non-STEM occupations.  However, not many students are going in this direction. According to the U.S. Department of Education, only 16 percent of American high school students are proficient in math and have interest in pursuing a STEM career. “The United States is falling behind internationally, ranking 25th in mathematics and 17th in science among industrialized nations.”  Advanced Placement computer science is only taught in five percent of American high schools.  

Although President Obama has pledged $4 billion towards computer science education, a lot more has to be done to beef up the STEM sector, especially by the next president coming in next year.

The STEM Education Coalition created a comprehensive list of policy recommendations for the 2016 Presidential candidates.

I like all the recommendations!

  • Appoint a high-profile STEM education coordinator at the White House whose role will be to drive a STEM agenda across the federal government .
  • Appoint qualified STEM education professionals to a wider range of federal advisory bodies, such as the President’s Council of Advisors on Science and Technology and the National Science Board, and in White House and other senior federal agency policymaking positions.
  • Convene a summit during the first 100 days at the U.S. Department of Education, led by the Secretary, with state, local and national STEM stakeholders, including business and workforce groups, to highlight and discuss major STEM policy issues with the goal of seeking input into a broad federal STEM agenda.
  • Encourage states to emphasize student performance in science, alongside reading and mathematics, when developing, evaluating and implementing the accountability provisions under the Every Student Succeeds Act.
  • Direct the Secretary of Education to prepare an annual report to assess the degree to which states are utilizing the new authorities provided under the Every Student Succeeds Act to support and prioritize STEM education activities and student success.
  • Publish an online guide for educators and students that showcases federal resources available to support STEM education and highlights research on best practices in teaching and learning and emerging areas such as STEM competitions, advancements and integration of informal learning, exciting opportunities for students, and increasing women and minority participation in STEM learning.
  • Utilize the authority provided to the Secretary of Education by Section 2245 (STEM Master Teacher Corps) of the Every Student Succeeds Act to propose a national initiative to support high quality STEM initiatives in 5-10 leading states.
  • Adopt a balanced approach to supporting community colleges, technician trade schools, and other degree granting institutions of higher education through federal post-secondary workforce education and training programs.
  • Integrate the goal of broadening the STEM education pipeline, especially to women, girls, and students from underrepresented backgrounds, in the Administration’s proposals for the reauthorization of the Higher Education Act.
  • Propose robust, predictable, and sustained support for the National Science Foundation, including full funding of NSF’s Education and Human Resources Directorate and other agency efforts to develop a rigorous education research base to inform innovations in teaching, learning, and educational materials development.
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